Licensing Opportunities
Our most valuable disruptive technologies with real-world potential are matured through our Validation and Institute Project programs. These projects represent a subset of Wyss Institute technologies currently available for licensing. These technologies have been considerably de-risked by our Advanced Technology and Business Development teams and continue to be refined to advance their near-term translation into commercial products that will transform medicine and create a more sustainable world.
Explore Validation and Institute Projects
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Institute Project
MRBL: Next-Generation Gene Therapy for Molecular Skin RejuvenationThe next-generation gene therapy for molecular skin rejuvenation combines a comprehensive target gene prediction with a novel transdermal delivery approach for therapeutic adenovirus-associated viruses. The platform targets monogenic disease indications in the skin, and extends the same targets to the treatment of common skin aging conditions. -
Institute Project
Circe: Tailored Fats for Food ApplicationsA fermentation-based platform that uses greenhouses gases to produce food-grade fats without the use of plants or animals. The Wyss Institute is de-risking this technology and is seeking strategic partnerships with companies and individuals who are interested in assisting with its development and commercialization. -
Institute Project
PhonoGraft: 3D Printed Tympanic Membrane GraftPhonoGraft is an easy-to-use, biomimetic device that stimulates a patient's eardrum to heal itself after perforation. This regenerative medicine approach can enable better and longer-lasting eardrum reconstruction, reducing the need for invasive surgeries and minimizing the risk of long-term hearing loss. -
Institute Project
OMNIVAX: Broadly Deployable Infection Vaccine PlatformOMNIVAX is an immuno-material-based vaccine platform technology able to create safe and effective therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines against viral and bacterial threats. Its modular approach enables the rapid creation of vaccines for pathogens using known and unknown antigens. Current approaches include vaccines against some viral diseases. -
Validation Project
Bone Marrow-Like Scaffolds for Accelerating Immune ReconstitutionAn implantable bone marrow cryogel to accelerate the full reconstitution of the immune system, including T cell immunity, in patients that received chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. This could provide an off-the-shelf, material-based solution for patients with severe blood disorders whose immunity is recovering only slowly after treatment. -
Validation Project
Low-Cost Tactile Displays for the Blind and Visually ImpairedAge-related medical conditions are responsible for most cases of blindness and visual impairment worldwide. In 2015, there were an estimated 36 million blind people in the world, with an additional 217 million suffering from moderate to severe vision impairment. Over 80% of the visually impaired were older than 50, and this percentage is expected to... -
Validation Project
Using Systems Biology to Find and Test New Drugs FasterThe pharmaceutical industry is infamous for big numbers: it takes 10-15 years and can cost over $2 billion to bring a new drug from the lab to the market. Up to 6 of those years and $1 billion are spent in laborious preclinical trials to identify and validate new potential drug compounds, and much of... -
Institute Project
eRapid: Multiplexed Electrochemical Sensors for Fast, Accurate, Portable DiagnosticsHandheld electrochemical sensors have revolutionized at-home medical testing for diabetics, but they have not yet been successfully applied to diagnosing other conditions. These sensors are based on the activity of an enzyme, and there are only a limited number of enzymes that can be used to detect biomarkers of human disease. An alternative, much more... -
Validation Project
eRNA: Controlled Enzymatic RNA Oligonucleotide SynthesisSynthetic RNA oligonucleotides designed as specific successions of the four nucleobases A, U, G, and C that mimic naturally occurring RNA species are the key components of diverse RNA-based therapies. These include RNA therapeutics that can partially or completely turn off the expression of disease-causing genes (antisense and interfering RNAs), help replace or supplement dysfunctional... -
Validation Project
cold-SNAP: Eco-Friendly Air ConditioningAs average global temperatures steadily climb, the worldwide demand for air conditioning is expected to triple by 2050. Conventional air conditioners, while now cheap to manufacture, still rely on low-efficiency mechanical vapor compression to cool and dehumidify air, making them one of the largest consumers of energy in industrialized countries. An alternative cooling method called... -
Validation Project
Single-Cell Encapsulation for Improved Cell TherapiesMesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are valued for their ability to secrete compounds that modulate the body’s immune system, making them an attractive solution for existing problems with cell therapies including host-vs-graft disease and organ transplant rejections. However, MSCs are rapidly cleared from the body and can come under fire from the immune system. Efforts to... -
Institute Project
Circe: Transforming Greenhouse Gases into Biodegradable ProductsCirce is a platform technology that uses engineered microbes to produce valuable, biodegradable synthetic polymers from greenhouse gases, minimizing the environmental impact of manufacturing. Potential applications include biodegradable plastics and packaging, energy-efficient agriculture, clean personal care products, and more. -
Validation Project
Brain Targeting Program: Shuttles for Brain Delivery of Therapeutics and DiagnosticsIn its Brain Targeting Program, a Wyss team led by Founding Director Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D. and Staff Program Lead James Gorman, M.D., Ph.D. is developing improved approaches to target drugs and diagnostics to the brain. Leveraging the human blood-brain barrier (BBB) Chip technology developed by Ingber’s team, combined with advanced antibody R&D capabilities, the... -
Validation Project
DNA Data StorageThe genetic material DNA has garnered considerable interest as a medium for digital information storage because its density and durability are superior to those of existing silicon-based storage media. For example, DNA is at least 1000-fold more dense than the most compact solid-state hard drive and at least 300-fold more durable than the most stable... -
Validation Project
Liquid-Infused Tympanostomy TubesAcute middle ear infections affect more than 700 million people each year, with children often experiencing the most recurrent and severe symptoms due to their underdeveloped physiology. By the age of three, 25-40 % of children have had at least three episodes of acute middle ear infection, which is commonly accompanied by excess fluids accumulating... -
Validation Project
AquaPulse: Portable Off-the-Grid Water PurificationGlobally, more than 2 billion people are forced to use a drinking water source that is contaminated with bacteria, parasites, and other pathogens, and an estimated 502,000 people die each year from diarrhea as a result of unsafe water. While a majority of the world has access to improved water sources, many are often contaminated;... -
Validation Project
CogniXense: Target-Agnostic Drug Repurposing in Record TimeThe problem There are more than 7,000 known rare genetic diseases that collectively afflict more patients in the United States than diabetes, but only 5% of these diseases have any effective treatment. A major driver of this lack of therapies is that about 75% of rare genetic diseases cause cognitive and behavioral impairment, which are... -
Validation Project
abbieSense: Anaphylaxis DiagnosticThe molecule histamine plays a primary role in the anaphylaxis reaction, which is a major cause of illness and death in people with severe allergies. Histamine is a very small molecule composed of only seventeen atoms, making it a challenging target to detect. To date, no diagnostic test exists that can measure histamine levels accurately... -
Validation Project
Biomaterial Scaffolds for T Cell ExpansionImmunotherapy, or tweaking the body’s own immune system to treat disease, is attracting significant attention in the medical field for its potential to offer long-lasting cures with fewer side effects than chemotherapy or other drugs. One type of immunotherapy involves isolating T cells (a type of white blood cell) from a patient’s body, sometimes modifying... -
Validation Project
Tough Gel Adhesives for Wound HealingA Band-Aid® adhesive bandage is an effective treatment for stopping external bleeding from skin wounds, but an equally viable option for internal bleeding does not yet exist. Surgical glues are often used inside the body instead of traditional wound closure techniques like stitches, staples, and clips because they reduce the patient’s time in the hospital... -
Institute Project
JetValve for Heart RegenerationThe human heart beats approximately 35 million times every year, pumping blood into the circulation via four different heart valves. In more than four million people each year, heart valves fail for different reasons, including birth defects, age-related deteriorations and infections. At present, clinicians use either artificial prostheses or fixed animal and cadaver-sourced tissue to...